The video: Christopher Young, a Democratic candidate for mayor in Providence, RI, punctuated his closing statement in a televised debate this week by proposing to Kara Russo, his longtime girlfriend and campaign manager. From her seat in the audience, Russo, who is running for Congress and lieutenant governor as a Republican, shouted her acceptance. Young, beaming, placed a small box with an engagement ring on top of his podium. But, after television viewers tuned out and an online portion of the debate started, Young said it was a "conditional engagement" contingent on his election as mayor.
The reaction: Politically, Young may be nothing but a "perennial gadfly candidate," says Ted Nesi at WPRI.com, but his romantic proposal definitely "stole the show." Young's history of running and losing is noteworthy here, says Christine Mathias at Salon. If this really is a "conditional engagement," Russo shouldn't call the caterer just yet. Watch Young's proposal below:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
July 16 editorial cartoonsCartoons Wednesday’s political cartoons include the Epstein files landing on everyone's summer reading list, and the relationship between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin
-
Viktor Orban: is time up for Europe's longest-serving premier?Today's Big Question Hungarian PM's power is under threat 'but not in the way – or from the people – one might expect'
-
Operation Rubific: the government's secret Afghan relocation schemeThe Explainer Massive data leak a 'national embarrassment' that has ended up costing taxpayer billions
